Nonconformity

Nonconformity

"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." It is perhaps one of Ralph Waldo Emerson's most famous quotes. With this and the paragraph following it from Self-Reliance, Emerson summarizes almost the entirety of transcendentalism philosophy. He expresses the desire for free will and self discovery. Nonconformity, as he describes it, is an absolute necessity to truly live life to its fullest. Yet despite all of his rationale behind his thinking, he can not help but to contradict his own statements. For a man to truly be a nonconformist would mean for him to conform.

Emerson states that no man should conform to society. Rather than blindly accept the customs and dictations of others, he should follow his own judgments and intuitions; "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind" (541). Emerson also clearly states his position as an anarchist and his disdain for the church. He asks, "What have I to do with the sacredness of traditions, if I live wholly from within?" (541). This leads one to believe that he feels as though the clergy should have no right to tell a man how or what to worship because anything and everything important comes from within. He also states that "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature" (541). Similar to his feelings about the church, he feels that the government should not have the right to tell a person how one should live his or her life. Both set the rules for what is right and what is wrong when, according to Emerson, the only person that has the right to decide such rules is oneself.

The language Emerson uses throughout this passage is key to understanding his meanings. When discussing his dislike of the government and church, he comments specifically that "no law", referring to the government, "can be sacred", referring to holy beliefs (541). However, just prior to this Emerson let us know that he is not entirely an atheist by referring to our own mind as "sacred". This demonstrates that Emerson probably believes in a different form of holy practice focusing on self-gratification rather than sacrifice and devotion. This self-gratification can be interpreted as selfishness, which Emerson further supports by saying, "Thy love afar is spite at home" (541). Emerson claims that one should care only for oneself and not the troubles of others. This can be even further supported by his comment that giving charity is a weakness, and he refers to the times he has given money as a "wicked dollar" (542).

Even the word "nonconformist" must be